The music used: - Beethoven, Symphony no.7, part 2: Adagietto performed by the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Philippe Herreweghe. - Mammal Hands - Three Good Things from the album Shadow Work - Sohn - M.I.A. from the album Trust
There is something magical about Sonus Faber speakers, they look magical and sound like musical alchemy to my ears. Somehow they manage to have flow & disciplined control. Detailed without the slightest harshness. They make you want to listen to more music and that is quite an achievement. They are up against some seriously good speakers here though.
@@TheAlphaAudio The Audio Physic Step 35 is almost impossible to comprehend for it's size and regardless of cost probably the most impressive for me so far.
This is what I like for speaker reviewers. A good sound demonstration and subjective interpretation afterwards. It's very transparent and informative. The people who will be a potential buyer of these speakers will have good idea and representation on what to expect and they are well informed before deciding to buy. Other reviewers couldn't care much about their audience opinion. They just want to say their subjective interpretation of the speakers and we all know that sound perception varies between people. And when you suggest them for sound demos they wouldn't take it lightly.
@@TheAlphaAudio Thanks a lot for trying. It's not easy to do these kinds of highly technical reviews. But with passion it's not that difficult. More power!
I was fortunate enough to get a listening session with the Neat Petite speakers, sat alongside the very man who owns the company. What an absolute gent! The speakers are just fabulous. I can understand your reaction in the room. They should never be able to create such a scale of soundstage for their size. They're superb!
This is a fantastic video, I started on my AVI ADM 9.1t's and the switched to my HEDD type 30, blown away on both, love your reactions, gives such depth and feeling to the experience. Thank you, will be looking for more of your vids now.
I want to congradulate you on your work. Very helpfull. Will there be any Totem acoustic bookshelves in your line-up? Something like the Totem Sky for exemple?
This series was very helpful to me picking a new set of speakers. I went for the JBL as I got a good price and I like the JBL sound. I wouldn't say they are the best in the roundup, but certainly the best bang for the buck. Also they are a listen all day type of speaker and tolerant of poor material.
I just wanted to say that I really love your channel. I just bought a pair of fyne audio f500sp speakers...very revealing of the source. I'll probably be upgrading to a class d amp. The future is here. BTW, I am in the industry and hearing the hypex...not much in the price range that can compete
I check the measurements of the other speaker I liked the most, the Audio Physic Step 35 and... it cuts off at just over 70 Hz (-3 dB), so it definitely needs a subwoofer. £3,000, putting it up against the wall for more bass is sacrilege. It has a rise from 8 kHz. And again at 12 kHz.
I need to remind you that i use a 3ms and 30ms window during measurements to prevent too many reflections. That renders low frequency measurements impossible. Know that.
[ So while the quasi-anechoic frequency measurement did reveal a potential problem, it won't become an audible problem as long as the Audio Physic Step Pluses are used on stands that place their tweeters sufficiently below the listener's ear height. The speaker's forward upper midrange might make system matching more tricky than usual, but as long as the Step Plus is placed close enough to walls that its lightweight low frequencies can benefit from some boundary reinforcement, it offers just enough bass. Ken Micallef basically called it correctly.-John Atkinson ]
After Part 1 & 2 Neat Petite Classic - £2,000 Audio Physic Step 35 - £3,000 + subwoofer For a SMALL ROOM, value for money: 👉 Neat Petite Classic. With a British class AB amplifier (nothing from Yamaha, Rotel..., to understand us) or hybrid. On a good stand.
I never would have thought that a JBL speaker -- any JBL speaker -- could even hold its own against the kind of competition they're being pitted against in this three-part series. But watching everyone's reaction when the switch is made from the Pass to the Nilai amplifier was really quite edifying. Question: I went on the Hypex website today (27 April 2023) looking for the Nilai, and I couldn't find it. Have they discontinued that offering? (I realize that it's a kit.)
Seems that recorded volume levels are different comparing Part 1 and Part 2 of the test. Part 1 group of speakers sounds louder than Part 2 group of speakers. That makes hard to compare speakers from Part 1 group to Part 2 group in kind of A-B comparision. Besides that ... great job. Thanks !
We have used a DB meter, as you can see, to level the volume of all speakers using pink noise. Since the stream is broadcasted directly and not edited, I don't know what could explain a difference in volume.
Hi guys,this is the most helpfull comparison for speakers without demoing them,thank you for such amazing work. As you mentioned in the stream,neat would work good with british sounding amp,so do you think Arcam SA30 would be a good choice sound wise? Keep up with so amazing work🙏
Audio Physic Step 35 is clearly a great speaker but at $7,300 AUD its well outside my budget. I have a question regarding the Sonus faber Sonetto 1 at $3,000 & 2 at $4,000 AUD, I can at a stretch afford either, depending on the Amp I get or would a Yamaha RX A3080 in stereo or Quad Vena II Play be a good match? I'm wondering about the Sonus faber Lumina II which costs $2,200 AUD. How does it compare with the Sonetto 1?
I check the Neat Petite Classic measurements of the Alpha-Audio (you have to be registered) and there is a great treble boost starting at 4 kHz. They were not annoying though! I do not understand. Maybe it is just on the axis. The dominant distortion is H2 -> musicality.
1. Sonus (I don't like that brand btw), 2. JBL (these are great!) 3. Neat (2nd and 3rd are discussible because an imaging is outstanding in both cases) 4. AP (just good) 5. Golden (have some problems in stitching bands)
I have Martin Logan 15i and it performs great for HT and pretty decent for music as well. I have wondered how much I would gain in my application going with something like the Neat Petites relative to price. I do expect from reading reviews the Neats would absolutely have more bass but I can supplement with a sub and bass isn't at the top of my list, also a bigger soundstage with more resolution and better organization to more complex music but just how much better at approx 4X the price? More resolution isn't always a guarantee of better musicality, I have had the Quad S2 and while highly resolving and detailed, great for HT, it sounded a bit sterile to me on music, also a very flat stage. I respond to more a 3Dness in stage as it helps imaging and find the 15i good enough, and while cooler comparatively, I prefer that to a warmer sound. I also find it smooth probably the tweeter and the Al driver adds sufficient weight to the mids. The smoothness I like and sibilance is well controlled. All in all, for the discounted price and size, it performs very well. So, the the Neats would have to be pretty beguiling and more than just a step up in the mids and highs to justify its price. Having no grill is alarming to protect form dust as well as idiots. Any thoughts helpful. I have used Focal, Triangle, Paradigm as well as others. Use a Hegel h160 as well as a Keces E40 which I found all the speakers I typically like can be driven well by either. Considered the Sonus Faber lineup as well. Absolutely prefer a small form factor so if a speaker is too large, I tend to remove it from consideration. Something about 5 to 5.5 in drivers I like, but I also have Dali Opticon 1s which I like and preferred over the Menuet SE which I found to be overly refined. Both the 15i and Opticon 1s are keepers for me, budget prive, bought on discount, no complaints. Perhaps that gives me the answer but if moving up gives sufficient improvement, it could be done. Adding a grill which could be removed would have been smart.
I am sorry... I can't answer this question, for I haven't heard the Logan 15i. This live stream showed what the Neat Petite can do. And you can roughly hear its characteristics. If you like it: try it. That's all I can advice for now.
@@TheAlphaAudio I think I have an idea of the improvements. As I only listen at low to moderate volumes the 15i is quite acceptable at the moment. When I am ready to upgrade, the Neats as well as a few others on my list can be considered. Thanks.
Sonus Faber Sonetto II Audio Physic Step 35 aka Step Plus GoldenEar BRX JBL HDI-1600 Neat Petite Classic The best, to me: * Audio Physic Step 35 (with Hypex Nilai500DIY) * Neat Petite Classic (with Pass Labs without any doubt). Small loudspeakers -> small rooms. Audio Physic Step 35 better with a subwoofer. The worse: GoldenEar BRX
I know what it is...a compression driver has about 20 to 30 times less distortion than a traditional dome tweeter. I'm not sure about the amt. But I can hear a slight colouration in the neat. This is where the uncoloured jbl with minimal distortion is a match made in heaven with the nilai. The nilai has exceptional specs that classic speakers can't keep up with. The klipsch heresy speakers were similar but different. My fyne f500sp speakers are also very revealing of the source where a classic speaker isn't as much. A compression driver doesn't hide anything
I'm hesitating between the Audio Physic Step 35 or the Magnepan LRS+, I have a relatively small space and I want a speaker with a very good 3D image. I mainly listen to classical music.What do you think about this dilemma?
Beste, Alpha Audio Welke stereoversterker tot 2500 euro zouden jullie aanraden voor de Sonus Faber Sonetto 1? waar ik veel details hoor, maar zonder te vermoeien en er langdurig naar kan luisteren Alvast bedankt voor de reactie
@@TheAlphaAudio Heb ik ook gekeken, maar hoe weet ik of het de juiste match is voor mijn luidsprekers? zou de Yamaha AS1200 iets kunnen zijn of de Rega Elicit MK5?
Kan je een keer de cambridge cxa81 met de cambridge cxn v2 doen en met vergelijkbare versterker s ik heb ze allebei met de dynaudio excite x14 speaker en de kabels zijn The Chord Company Clearway:) ????
I just read the review and measurements of the JBL on your website. Just to say that the dip between 8 and 17 kHz you measured is normal and it appears also on the official JBL measurements.
We can conclude that JBL publishes truthful measurements ;-). If you compare it with the measurements of the other speakers, those speakers do not exhibit that dip. So, maybe it is 'normal' for (this) JBL speaker, but it is not a regular dip for all speakers. Nonetheless, don't get too hung up on measurements, the video clearly demonstrates the differences in character.
In this category I am interested in Revival Audio Atalante 3 but would also love to see Dali Rubicon in a test and the Comete also. Anyway apart from all the information it provides I enjoy the format very much so thanks !
@@TheAlphaAudio I think maybe Dali is scared to lose ;-) . Great Job with this comparison, it’s so entertaining I stay up late here in Hong Kong 1am now just to listen to all parts
@@jmtennapel Thank you…I’ve been listening to the Bernstein recordings of Beethoven # 7 but this one seems better recorded and with a unique interpretation 🙏🏼
Fwiw the supposedly enlightened alien Bashar claims the "highest vibration" music mankind has ever produced is the second movement of Beethoven's 7th symphony you played here.
@@TheAlphaAudio I found conclusions on warmth … neutrality, a comment on one being lively and open. But are there findings on anything else eg bass, the effect of positioning, horizontal and vertical dispersion, distortion?
@@TheAlphaAudio Is it out of professional courtesy that you refrained from including A Dali speaker, or would it have real consequences for you as dealers?
As we explain in the video, loudspeaker and amplifier matching is important and each loudspeakers reacts differently on an amplifier. In part 1 most speakers had a better synergy with the Nilai.
@@REX4340 You are jumping to a conclusion we did not draw. We never said that the Nilai is a poor amp, on the contrary. That is your take-away, which is fine, but not what we said. Furthermore, both the JBL and the Golden Ear perform better with the Nilai.
@@REX4340 disclaimer: I am talking about personal preference here. The most surprising combination was the JBL speaker with the Nilai amp. Not because it was "the best", but for the total price it gives you everything you could wish for: relaxed listening, yet excitement in the music, detail without loss of coherence in the imaging, an immersive soundstage and character in reproduction to keep your attention while listening. It really is a golden combination and like we said: they should make this an active version (presumed Hypex will release a plate amp based on the Nilai architecture at some point in time).
Audio physic or Neat is winner for me. Greast control and timing. From the rest of three, i would choose Golden Ear. Sonus and JBL are bloated and on-off speakers to me. Sometimes great, but often just a mess. They may wow young listener at first, but sooner or later they will figure out, they are not so special.
